School collecting recyclable items
ADAMS TWP — Mars Middle School's Environmental Committee is collecting various items through the school's annual recycling campaign. The committee is collecting aluminum cans to benefit Habitat for Humanity; can tabs for Mars Historical Society; and old athletic shoes for Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program. The school is also recycling used ink and toner cartridges and cell phones, the proceeds from which go toward the school's General Recycling Fund, which is used to aid in making the school more environmentally friendly. Newspapers, magazines, office paper and junk mail also can be recycled in one of the yellow and green “Paper Retriever” recycling bins at each of the district's five school buildings. (Note: No phone books or cardboard as well as any plastic, glass, metal or trash will be accepted.) Recyclables can be dropped off at the school's main office, Monday through Friday during school hours. For more information, call 724-625-3145. Student wins geography beeADAMS TWP — Mars eighth-grader Claire Staresinic earned first place for the second consecutive year in the Mars Geography Bee Final Round Qualifier, held Jan. 4 at Mars Centennial School. Sixth-grader April Bonifate achieved second place and eighth-grader D.J. Bauer earned third place. Other participants were eighth-graders Evan Deddo, Adam Sweet and Abby Neiser; seventh-grader Juliet Thomas; sixth-grader Sam Wrotny; and fifth-graders Catherine Cable and Blake Duffy. Claire will now complete a written exam that will be mailed to the Pennsylvania State Geography Bee, which will notify her as to whether she has qualified for the state contest on April 5. The state winner will then advance to the National Geography Bee competition, to be held May 20-22. The National Geographic Society sponsors the contest. Before the Mars competition, all students at Mars Middle School and Mars Centennial School completed a 50-question, written geography exam based on the physical and cultural geography of both the United States and the world during their social studies classes. The top 50 students who missed no more than eight questions then took a second round exam in December. The 10 students who missed no more than eight questions will advance to the final round on Jan. 4. For more information, contact Lori Jones, sixth grade teacher, at 724-625-2601 or visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geographybee.